Jordan says civil wars loom in Mideast

Politics International Politics
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Violence spinning out of control in Iraq…civil war looming.

Second time the ‘C’ word has been used this weekend to describe the Iraq situation.

stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3880168a12,00.html

Jordan says civil wars loom in Mideast
27 November 2006

WASHINGTON: The Middle East is on the verge of three civil wars – in Iraq, Israel and Lebanon – unless strong action is taken urgently by the international community, Jordan’s King Abdullah warned.

With US President George W Bush heading to Amman this week to talk with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Abdullah said “something dramatic” must come from that meeting to stop violence spinning out of control in Iraq.

“I don’t think we’re in a position where we can come back and revisit the problem in early 2007,” he said on ABC’s This Week.

But the United States must also look at the “big picture” and seek comprehensive Middle Eastern solutions involving all regional players, he said – indicating this should include Syria and Iran.

“We’re juggling with the strong potential of three civil wars in the region, whether it’s the Palestinians, that of Lebanon or of Iraq,” the Jordanian king said.

“We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands. And therefore, it is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear, and I see could possibly happen in 2007,” Abdullah said.

With Iraq near all-out civil war, the Bush administration is renewing efforts to break the cycle of violence there by enlisting the help of moderate Arab nations.

US vice-president Dick Cheney has just returned from a visit to Saudi Arabia and talks on the Middle East, and Bush and Maliki are to meet in Amman Wednesday and Thursday for what is shaping up to be a crisis summit.

more at link… but here’s a classic:

What a fuck up.

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King Abdullah’s prefered big picture solution starts–and seems to end–with Israel/ Palestine. George Will’s comment on that solution is a good one: “Does anyone believe that the Shites and Sunnis, in Iraq, are going to stop killing each other if the Palestinians get a state?”

He’s right about the three civil wars, but I don’t see how they could possibly be dealt with at a single blow. The Palestinians, locked in their prison, will continue to fight over what scraps are available.

Lebanon… say, was that Israeli soldier ever released? How’d that little war do strengthening the Lebanese state against Hezbollah?

And Iraq’s a write off. Time to pull out the pencils and redraw the map. Iran’s about to grow, while Turkey and the Kurds will make for a fourth war in the region. Best have lots of erasers, 'cause the map’s not going to be static.

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Jordans King Abdullah, like his Father, has constantly stressed the need for compromise. He is very pro-West, as was his Father, and a very ‘modern’ force in the ME. His country is a politically created one and unfortunately for them is not an 'Oil Kingdom." And they also have about 60-65% population of people who choose to identify themselves as “Palestinians” rather than Jordanians.
His calls for compromise by the various actors has also caused him to be under serious assassination threat, particularly in his own country.
I listened to his speech and thought it was a voice of reason in a sea of madness.

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Civil War, world war, tribal war. Notice that they all have one thing in common? Who cares what the adjective is, it’s still the same shit, different day.

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Civil War, world war, tribal war. Notice that they all have one thing in common? Who cares what the adjective is, it’s still the same shit, different day.[/quote]
yep I agree. I believe if a country wants to go and get involved in another country’s problems, they should make the situation better, not worse.

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Civil War, world war, tribal war. Notice that they all have one thing in common? Who cares what the adjective is, it’s still the same shit, different day.[/quote]
yep I agree. I believe if a country wants to go and get involved in another country’s problems, they should make the situation better, not worse.[/quote]

IMO countries should stay out of countries problems. Now while there’s the argument of 1 million people being slaughtered, we should intervene, even then it’s a fine line.

Countries should provide assistance that doesn’t impose their own values onto them…